Something Fishy

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Free fishing is available in Indiana and Kentucky this weekend, June 4-5, and Indiana state parks will only charge a dime to visit

Visiting an Indiana state park in Indiana on this weekend (June 4 or 5) will cost just pocket change—literally.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, it is part of Indiana State Parks celebrating their 100th birthday by “rolling back” gate admission to a 10-cents-per-person donation for each of those two days.

It also is a free fishing weekend in the state. Anglers can try their luck without a fishing license. It is hoped the free fishing opportunity will bring newcomers to the sport or bring back former anglers.

The cost of ten cents per person to enjoy a state park is what visitors paid in 1916. The special donation rate applies to all 24 parks and eight reservoir properties operated by Indiana State Parks on June 4-5.

Col. Richard Lieber, founder of Indiana State Parks, believed that the cost of operating state parks should be borne in part by users. Indiana’s state parks have had entrance fees since the beginning.

According to information provided by the Indiana DNR, about 70 percent of funding for operating costs today comes from gate, camping and other fees,

Dan Bortner, director of Indiana State Parks. said, “We think that inviting our guests to make a donation at the 1916 rate is a great way to celebrate our centennial, and a way to encourage all Hoosiers to visit a state park and enjoy a day outdoors,” he said.

Admission at most state park properties normally costs $7 per in-state vehicle and $9 per out-of-state vehicle.

Visitors who have an annual pass or a Golden Hoosier Passport can still use those for admission.

Additional fees for activities inside the park, such as off-road bicycling, horseback riding and camping, still apply at 2016 prices. At Falls of the Ohio State Park, the discount applies to the parking fee, but admission to the interpretive center will remain at current prices.

Attendants will be collecting the donations at the entrance gates, so remember to bring your dimes and spare change. And while just 10 cents per-person will get you in, visitors also are encouraged to give a little more if they can.

Generally, all revenue collected at gates, campgrounds and pools, and for programs and passes goes to one account to support operations at all 32 properties. For this weekend only, all donations collected at entrance gates will remain with the park in which they were received, and will support local property programs and projects.

Turkey Run and McCormick’s Creek were Indiana’s first two Indiana state parks, established in 1916 as a gift to Hoosiers on the 100th anniversary of Indiana statehood. Cagles Mill Lake was the first reservoir property operated through the DNR, opening in 1953.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

One morning a neighbor called. “Hey, come over to my place. You’re the outdoor guy. I want show you something, and then I’ve got a couple of questions.”

That type call always worries me. I’ve been writing about the outdoors for half a century, but still know very little about it. There is so much to know. Usually what I do know, is who to ask for their expertise.

When I arrived my friend was still eating breakfast. “Come out here on the porch. Look up there.”

“Bats,” I said. There were three hanging between a couple of rafters. They were small and brown, but I had no idea what species they were. At least for me, it is nearly impossible to tell one from the other.

“What will happen to them this winter?”, he asked. “I thought they stayed in caves at night.” It was obvious to me that some research was in order.

While I enjoy watching bats swoop and dart at dusk, my knowledge of the animal is nil. I know they eat a lot of insects, including pesky mosquitos, and that’s important these days with all the concern for Zika virus.

Zika apparently is spread by mosquitos, and the government plans to spend more than one billion dollars to combat the disease.

According to non-game biologist Brooke Slack, there are 15 known species of bats in Kentucky.

Most hibernate in caves during winter months, but migrate in warmer weather and will travel several hundred miles to a summer home.

Bats breed in the fall, however the females do not become pregnant until spring, according to Brooke. There is a technical term for it, but essentially, the sperm lies dormant until after hibernation.

According to an Indiana Department of Natural Resources website, “Bats are probably the most mistreated and misunderstood mammals. People believe that bats are carriers of rabies or that they have a desire to fly into women’s hair. Neither of these rumors is true, as well as the vampire stories that surround these harmless creatures.

“Bats are clean animals and are no more apt to carry rabies than a dog or a cat. Contrary to popular belief, bats are gentle creatures that benefit man by consuming large quantities of pesky insects.

“In spring, bats emerge from hibernation and migrate to their summer homes. Because they separate into smaller social units, little is known about summer habitat requirements. Females form maternity colonies of up to 100 bats during the summer.

“Bats feed entirely on night flying insects, and a colony of bats can consume thousands of insects each night. A gray bat (an endangered species) will eat up to 3,000 insects per feeding. Bats locate these insects by emitting high-pitched sounds and waiting for the echo, which allows them to zoom in on the bug's location.

“The fat reserves accumulated by devouring these large quantities of insects during the summer and fall allow the bat to sustain itself during hibernation.

As we sat on my friend’s porch, he explained the bats in his rafters spend their day hanging upside down from the rafters and disappear at dark. “They don’t bother anything,” so they can stay,”